Donald Trump Jr. and wife headed for divorce, friends say

Donald Trump Jr. and his wife, Vanessa Trump, are struggling through marital problems and friends say they are heading for divorce, multiple sources have exclusively confirmed to Page Six.

Vanessa and the eldest son of President Donald Trump married in November 2005 and have five children. But while they have not legally separated, friends say they have been living separate lives.

Divorce proceedings have not yet been initiated, but friends say they expect the couple to file soon. A spokesperson for Don Jr., Vanessa and the Trump Organization declined to comment, despite numerous requests to do so over two days.

One source told us, “The problems have been there for a long time, the couple had hoped to stay together during the president’s time in office, but it is getting harder to resolve their issues. He’s never there.”

Don Jr., 40, has been traveling a lot. In February he was in India, and he has continued to take his hunting trips. Don Jr. is an avid hunter and there are many pictures of him online posing with the carcasses of elephants, leopards and other animals.

Don Jr. and his brother Eric, 34, are running the Trump Organization while their father is in office. Another of the sources told us, “Don Jr. has been busy traveling, which has contributed to their problems. Vanessa is a devoted mother, but she is increasingly lonely and alone in the house with the children.”

An issue, two of the sources say, is that Don Jr. “appears to have changed recently, and friends are concerned about him.” Their concerns were increased by Don Jr.’s tweeting, including when he liked a tweet linking antidepressants to mass murder, and another liking a tweet attacking a teen survivor of the Stoneman Douglas High School shooting. The Daily Beast also reported that following the school shooting, Don Jr. urged his dad to stay strong on gun rights and hold firm against any assault weapons ban.

Previously at Halloween, Don tweeted that he would take away half of his 3-year-old daughter’s Halloween candy because he wrote, “it’s never to [sic] early to teach her about socialism.” Then after his recent trip to India, he was heavily criticized for his tone-deaf remark praising the country’s poor because “There’s still a smile on a face.”

Last year, Don Jr. asked to have his 24-hour Secret Service detail removed, saying he wanted more privacy. The Washington Post quoted a former member of the Trump administration saying that the Secret Service had been sending a rotating set of temporary agents to protect their young children and “There are all these new people coming and going. The kids don’t like that. They can’t get comfortable with someone they don’t know.” But the 24-hour protection for his family was restored later the same month.

The sources add that psychology graduate Vanessa is uncomfortable with the intense focus on the Trump family. One told us, “Vanessa is by nature is a very low-key person, and she is uncomfortable with the attention her family is getting now the Trumps are on the world stage. She is also worried for her kids, particularly after she received the threatening letter containing the white powder.”

In February, Vanessa was taken to a hospital as a precaution after she opened a letter addressed to Don Jr., mailed to their Manhattan home, which contained an explicit threat along with the white powder. The NYPD later said the powder in the envelope was non-hazardous, but the sources said of the experience, “It was terrifying for Vanessa, who is naturally worried for the safety of her children.”

Meanwhile, a separate source close to the couple insisted that, while they were having problems, they were not yet at the point of divorce: “Donald Jr. and Vanessa have been dealing with some issues, but they are not yet at the stage of filing for divorce. They are trying to deal with this privately.

“Don is still living at home, is a good dad and is super involved in his kids’ lives. He has always traveled for work, so his current schedule is not something out of the ordinary. He has a busy travel schedule now as he always does.”

The source close to the couple also insisted Don “hasn’t changed” and his social media stance remains the same as it always has: “Don has always had a bold and aggressive nature on social, there’s no change to his stance on Twitter. His behavior hasn’t changed, there’s nothing irrational about him, he’s always been bold, will say what he thinks and fight back, that’s his personality on Twitter.”

But the source added, “While they are not legally separated, I cannot deny there are issues, there are a lot of intricate things that go on in a marriage. Don and Vanessa are focused on their family, they are trying to do this quietly and privately, and when they have something to say on the record, they will do so. This has nothing to do with politics, this is a personal matter between two people.”